Delhi Police say AAP volunteers instigated Gajendra to kill self

Intensifying its confrontation with the Delhi government on the alleged suicide of a farmer, Delhi Police has accused it of trying to delay the post mortem of the deceased and blamed AAP workers of instigating him to take the extreme step.

Delhi police has told the union home ministry Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) workers provoked a Rajasthan farmer to commit suicide during a rally this month, stoking further a raging confrontation between the city’s ruling party and the department that reports to the Centre.

While the agency’s crime branch is yet to complete its probe into Gajendra Singh’s death, the police report leaked on Wednesday blamed the AAP volunteers and the crowd gathered at Jantar Mantar for clapping and instigating Singh after he climbed a tree and threatened to hang himself.

The Dausa resident who allegedly took his own life during the public meeting against the NDA government’s land legislation became the face of India’s farm crisis after unseasonable rain and hailstorms wiped out winter crop across vast swathes.

His death sparked nationwide outrage and led to a war of words on social media between supporters of the AAP and BJP.

Police also accused the Delhi government of delaying the post-mortem and blamed “untrained volunteers” for climbing the tree which possibly led to Singh losing his balance and hanging himself.

“It was noticed that the AAP volunteers and leaders were clapping at his (Singh’s) actions, and raising slogans that incited him to engage in more dangerous acts,” said the report that referred to Singh as an Aam Aadmi Party supporter. “AAP volunteers climbed the tree and untied him in an unprofessional manner. Consequently his limbs lost touch with the lower branch of the tree, which accentuated his hanging from the tree itself.”

While the AAP-led government has completed a separate inquiry and is likely to submit a report this week, police refused to join the probe, calling it illegal.